Teamwork Propels Wreckers To Best Hoops Start In Years

A team approach and the ability to overcome taller squads has helped the Weatherly boys basketball team to its best start in years.

The Wreckers were 12-1 heading into action this week and were undefeated in Schuylkill League Division III play. Weatherly started the season with a 13-1 mark in 1985-86 and went 12-1 in 1975-76.

"The team is small, but they are very quick and are really, really playing together, which is something every coach finds satisfying," said head coach Tony Antinozzi.

The players agree that teamwork has helped the Wreckers to a fast start. "So far thisyear, everybody has been playing team ball ever since the summer league. We're averaging five guys in double figures and that has produced a 12-1 record," said Jeff Pleban, a senior captain.

Dave Jemo, another senior captain, said the team has been able to play well in difficult situations. "We kind of arose to the conditions and played hard with a couple of road games. As long as we keep playing as a team, I think we can go far," he said.

Antinozzi said this year's team ranks up there with his best. "For playing together as a team and reaching potential and getting out of them as much as we can, this team ranks up there with the best I've had. Sometimes we're out there playing with five guards."

The Wreckers have won in almost every way possible this year. They have romped to wins, pulled a game out in triple overtime and have won several times when substitutes came off the bench to save the day. "This is the kind of team a coach likes because we seem to do what needs to be done to win," Antinozzi said.

The Wreckers only loss in the first 13 games of the season came Dec. 18 when a tall Mount Carmel club posted a 64-58 win at home. "We had troubles down the stretch with a technical foul and a three-second violation and we lost a close one. We really didn't have anybody who could do anything with them," Antinozzi said.

Weatherly has two players at 6 feet 2 inches tall and the Wreckers have been forced to play a quick game to overcome the height shortage. "We're just not big enough. We have to play pressure defense this year and we have to play a quick game. We have to play fast to be effective," Antinozzi said.

The quick tempo has proved successful because the Wreckers have been aggressive enough on defense to create fast-break situations. "If you play good defense and rebound well, you can create whatever tempo you want and the other team can't do anything about it," Antinozzi said.

Pleban says consistency has been the key to success. "We try to create turnovers with aggressive defense," he said. "When we rebound we try to run and we try to convert every time."

Another area that concerns Antinozzi is the Wreckers' inability to hold a lead. Weatherly blew a 14-point lead and needed triple overtime to beat Northwest in a holiday tournament. The Wreckers also lost a 13-point lead against Cardinal Brennan and a 14-point gap against Williams Valley before recovering to win both.

"It seems to be our weakness. We don't seem to know how to handle a lead," Antinozzi said.

The Wreckers, however, have shown the ability to recover from a deficit. "We were down to Marian by nine at halftime and we came back to take control," said Antinozzi, who watched Kevin Peiser come off the bench to score 15 points as Weatherly rallied for a 66-61 win in a Jan. 2 game.

Starters Troy Gregory and Bob Pugh are leading the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points a game. Jemo is at 13.3 and Pleban is at 12.7. The final starter -- Brian Sartori -- scores 9.6 points a game, and Peiser is at 7.5 off the bench.